Flacco: I was 'so fortunate' to be on the Browns

Despite the 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round, Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco is thankful for the opportunity the team gave him.

"I was so fortunate to become part of this team - it's a special group," Flacco said after the contest, according to Jake Trotter of ESPN. "To be given a chance to do this with those guys, I'm super grateful for it. ... Stinks the way it ended. But it was a lot of fun and I'm grateful for the time that we had."

Flacco's Cinderella run came to an end on Saturday. The Browns scored two touchdowns on their first four drives, but everything came crashing down in the second quarter. The club failed to score on their next eight drives, and Flacco tossed two pick-6s in the third quarter that all but iced the game.

Cleveland's defense didn't help Flacco, especially early in the contest. The Browns surrendered 286 yards in the first half, the most they've allowed in the first half of any game this season. Houston totaled 24 points heading into halftime, scoring on four of their first six drives. Flacco finished the outing with 307 passing yards on 34 completions for one touchdown and two turnovers.

After being signed in November, the 38-year-old carried Cleveland to the playoffs. He started his first contest in Week 13 after rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was injured against the Denver Broncos a game earlier.

Flacco took the reins as the starter and never looked back, throwing for 1,923 yards with 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in six games. Cleveland went 4-2 under Flacco, clinching a playoff spot after a Thursday Night victory over the New York Jets on Dec. 28.

The Delaware product has the same amount of touchdown passes as Deshaun Watson has with the Browns in six fewer games.

"Listen, I love it here and we're dealing with so much right now, just going through the emotions of this game and being so excited to be in this position and now to come up empty," Flacco said when asked if he would consider returning to Cleveland as a backup.

"That's where my head is. Trying to soak it all in and let this digest a little bit."

The Texans own the Browns' 2024 first-round pick due to the Watson trade. The 28-year-old Watson has a $63.9-million cap hit in 2024, according to Over The Cap.